She rose slowly with a speech upon her lips. Sir Isaac remained seated looking up at her with a mitigated fury in his little red-brown eyes. The speech receded from her lips again. “I think,” she said after a strained pause, “I will go and see how mother is now.” “She’s only shamming,” said Sir Isaac belatedly to her back as she went out of the room. She found her mother in a wrap before her fire and made her dutiful enquiries. “It’s only quite a _slight_ headache,” Mrs. Sawbridge confessed. “But Isaac was so upset about Georgina and about”—she flinched—“about—everything, that I thought it better to be out of the way.” “What exactly has Georgina done?” “It’s in the paper, dear. On the table there.” Ellen studied the _Times_. “Georgina got them the tickets,” Mrs. Sawbridge explained. “I wish she hadn’t. It was so—so unnecessary of her.” There was a little pause as Lady Harman read. She put down the paper and asked her mother if she could do anything for her. “I—I suppose it’s all Right, dear, now?” Mrs. Sawbridge asked. “Quite,” said her daughter. “You’re sure I can do nothing for you, mummy?” “I’m kept so in the dark about things.” “It’s quite all right now, mummy.” “He went on—dreadfully.” “It was annoying—of Georgina.” “It makes my position so difficult. I do wish he wouldn’t want to speak to me—about all these things.... Georgina treats me like a Perfect Nonentity and then he comes——It’s so inconsiderate. Starting Disputes. Do you know, dear, I really think—if I were to go for a little time to Bournemouth——?” Her daughter seemed to find something attractive in the idea. She came to the hearthrug and regarded her mother with maternal eyes. “Don’t you _worry_ about things, mummy,” she said. “Mrs. Bleckhorn told me of such a nice quiet boarding-house, almost looking on the sea.... One would be safe from Insult there. You know——” her voice broke for a moment, “he was Insulting, he _meant_ to be Insulting. I’m—Upset. I’ve been thinking over it ever since.” §10 Lady Harman came out upon the landing. She felt absolutely without backing in the world. (If only she hadn’t told a lie!) Then with an effort she directed her course downstairs to the dining-room. (The lie had been necessary. It was only a detail. It mustn’t blind her to the real issue.) She entered softly and found her husband standing before the fire plunged in gloomy thoughts. Upon the marble mantel-shelf behind him was a little glass; he had been sipping port in spite of the express prohibition of his doctor and the wine had reddened the veins of his eyes and variegated the normal pallor of his countenance with little flushed areas. “Hel-lo,” he said looking up suddenly as she closed the door behind her. For a moment there was something in their two expressions like that on the faces of men about to box. “I want you to understand,” she said, and then; “The way you behaved——”